This application is based on Japanese patent application No. HEI 9-59601 filed on Mar. 13, 1997, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to communications technologies for musical tone information, and more particularly to communications technologies for tone generator (sound source) setting information.
b) Description of the Related Art
As a standard specification for communications between electronic musical instruments, a music instrumental digital interface (MIDI) specification is known. Electronic musical instruments equipped with interfaces of the MIDI specification can communicate with each other by transferring MIDI data via a MIDI cable. For example, an electronic musical instrument transmits MIDI data of a musical performance by a player, and another musical instrument receives it to reproduce it. As one electronic musical instrument is played, another electronic musical instrument can be played in real time.
In a communications network interconnecting a plurality of general computers, various types of data are transferred. For example, live musical tone data or other MIDI data can be transmitted from one computer, which once stored the data in its storage device such as a hard disk, via the communications network to another computer which stores the received data in its storage device. A general communications network is, however, configured to perform only general data communications, and is not configured to properly process MIDI data.
Real time communications for MIDI data using the Internet has been proposed (Japanese patent application No. HEI 8-349939). As a player plays a MIDI musical instrument in a concert hall, MIDI data is generated which is transmitted to a plurality of users via the Internet. A user receives the MIDI data and can reproduce musical tones in real time.
In most of MIDI data communications, initial tone generator setting information is first transmitted to instruct to perform initial settings of a tone generator. Thereafter, real musical performance information given by a player is transmitted to instruct to start the reproduction of the performance.
A user can access the concert hall at any time via the communications network. If a user accesses the concert hall before the performance starts, the musical performance information can be reproduced from the start thereof. If the user accesses the concert hall in the midst of the musical performance, the performance information can be reproduced starting from the midst of the performance.
The initial tone generator setting information to be transmitted first can be received if a user accesses a concert hall before the performance starts. However, if a user accesses the concert hall in the midst of the performance, this initial tone generator setting information cannot be received and only real performance information given at a later time by a player is received.
In the latter case, subsequent real performance information is reproduced without setting the initial tone generator setting information to the tone generator. Without this initial tone generator setting information, settings of a tone generator at the concert hall are generally different from settings of a tone generator at each user. Therefore, the tone generator at the user reproduces the performance information with tone color, tone volume, sound effects and the like different from those at the concert hall.
It is an object of the present invention to provide communications technologies capable of properly setting a tone generator even if a user receives musical tone information not only at the start of musical performance but also in the midst thereof.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communications apparatus for tone generator setting information comprising: transmitting means for transmitting initial tone generator setting information before sound information is transmitted and thereafter transmitting real time subsequent tone generator setting information corresponding to the initial tone generator setting information.
As the initial tone generator setting information is transmitted, initial settings of a tone generator at a user are performed. As sound information is thereafter transmitted, this information is processed under the initial settings of the tone generator. Since the real time subsequent tone generator setting information corresponding to the initial tone generator setting information is transmitted thereafter, the tone generator setting is possible even if the initial tone generator setting information is not received. After the real time subsequent tone generator setting information is received, the sound information can be properly processed under the subsequent tone generator settings.